Remain in Light: Photography from the MCA Collections Suitable for Years 7-10 Visual Arts

How to use this resource This resource is designed for the classroom, to be displayed on an interactive whiteboard or via a PC/laptop and projector. Information for teachers, with suggested learning activities, is contained within the notes section, along with links to further education resources.

About the exhibition Remain in Light: Photography from the MCA Collections is a touring exhibition of photographic works made by Australian and international artists over the last fifty years. The exhibition features over 70 photographic works from Australian and international artists from the 1960s to today across a range of media including black and white photography, artist books, photo-lithography and digital photography. The exhibition will tour to key regional galleries in NSW, Victoria and Queensland until October 2015

About the MCA Located in Sydney at Circular Quay, the MCA is Australia’s only museum dedicated to exhibiting, collecting and interpreting the work of today's artists. The MCA’s vision is to engage audiences with contemporary art and ideas through the presentation of a diverse program of exhibitions and special events.

Documentary Photography  Documents real life  Is observational  Captures a moment  Can tell the story of a time and place William Yang, Distances 1981, ink on silver gelatin print, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1999

Documentary Photography This photograph was taken by Trent Parke on a trip visiting remote parts of Australia. The work is part of a series Welcome to Nowhere. Trent Parke, Shark Bay WA from the series 'Welcome to Nowhere' 2006, C type print, image Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2007

Ideas to consider Many photographers use their medium to capture daily life or to tell a story. What role does photography play in your daily life? How does documentary photography differ from photojournalism? Janet Brosious, Dawn 1978, silver gelatin photograph, J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 1978

Serial Photography A series of photographs exploring a particular subject or idea As a group the images can paint a detailed picture of an idea or issue, or build up a story Above: Polixeni Papapetrou, Mario Milano 1992, silver gelatin print, Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist, 1993; Below: Polixeni Papapetrou, Mr Wrestling 1992, silver gelatin print, Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of the artist, 1993

Ricky Maynard Explore Ricky Maynard’s series No More Than What You See. Create a word map of ideas and associations to record your experience of this series. Ricky Maynard, Untitled, from No More Than What You See 1993, gelatin silver fibre print, Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2010

Performance Photography An act performed for the camera or A documentation of a performance Mike Parr, Camera Poem, drip blood from your finger onto the lens of a camera type C photograph, Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of Flinders University Art Museum, 1991

Rosemary Laing Rosemary Laing works with a production team to stage her carefully planned photo shoots and capture an action. Create a storyboard that shows the before and after of this image - what has just happened, and what will happen next? Rosemary Laing, bulletproofglass #7 2002, type c photograph, Museum of Contemporary Art, donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program by Lucy Turnbull, 2009

Manipulation of the Photographic Image Ian Burn utilised a photocopier to manipulate images in his series; Systematically altered photographs. Brainstorm a list of the different ways that photographs can be manipulated. Ian Burn, Systematically altered photographs: Suburban Sunday (A) 1968, black and white photograph reproduced from Australian Panorama, Australian News and Information Bureau, c1967, Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of Terry Smith, 1997

Julie Rrap Julie Rrap’s work often explores representations of the female body in both art history and popular culture. What kind of body do you think these feet are attached to? Create a collage or drawing of a body that has adapted to life in the 21st Century. How has this body adapted to challenges of contemporary life? Julie Rrap. Overstepping 2001, digital print, Museum of Contemporary Art, gift of Andrew and Cathy Cameron, 2008

Big Ideas How have camera phones and photography apps changed the way we think about and experience photography? Can anyone be a photographer? What is the purpose of the photographs you take? Christo, Packed public building, project for Sydney, Australia 1969, synthetic polymer paint, cotton fabric, cotton thread, pencil, coloured pencil, pressure-sensitive tape on photographs, synthetic polymer weave and staples on cardboard, J W Power Collection, University of Sydney, managed by Museum of Contemporary Art, gift Mr Chandler Coventry, 1972

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